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From our fabulous News Hawks!

Have you seen a TG-related news story online or in your local paper? Send it in to TGF and become a News Hawk! Don't assume we know everything that's out there, because you are our eyes and ears. To file a story, send it in to Cindy.

New Orleans Passes TG Rights Law

Contributed by Elizabether Parker
via NewsPlanet
July 2, 1998

The New Orleans City Council voted 5 - 1 on July 1 to add to its ban on bias-motivated intimidation a protected category of "actual or perceived" "gender identification," described in the bill as "those whose characteristics are different from their own sex and they then dress accordingly." Violations can be punished with up to six months in jail and a $500 fine. However, employers are specifically allowed to prohibit cross-dressing on the job, except by those individuals who present a health professional's certification that they have been diagnosed with gender identity disorder (GID).

The transgender category had been omitted when the hate crimes ordinance was first adopted last year, even though it was included in the 1995 City Charter amendment prohibiting arbitrary discrimination. Sexual orientation was already included as a protected category in both the intimidation ordinance and the Charter bill of rights, as well as in a 1991 human rights ordinance against discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations.

Threats Cause Dana To Cancel

Contributed by Elizabeth Parker
via Associated Press
June 26, 1998

FRANKFURT, Germany -- Israel's transsexual pop star Dana International canceled a German TV appearance Sunday, saying she had been the target of death threats.

Suedwestfunk network spokesman Arthur Landwehr said the singer backed out of her appearance on the "Always on Sunday" program, but he had no details on the nature of the threats or how they were delivered.

The singer -- known as Yaron Cohen until a sex change operation five years ago -- became a celebrity throughout Europe after winning last month's Eurovision song contest.

Her selection as Israel's representative caused a furor among Orthodox leaders who called her a disgrace to the Jewish state, and raised eyebrows among some European viewers.

Joachim Uhrig, a record company manager, was quoted in Germany's Bild newspaper as saying the singer continually has problems with threats.

NYT Has No Clue

Contributed by Cena
via New York Times
June 17, 1998

NEW YORK - Clue found in The NY Times Crossword Puzzle for June 17th: "low brow talk show guest"

Answer: "crossdresser."

Goodwill Spiffs Up

Contributed by Elizabeth Parker
via Dow Jones
June 30, 1998

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Goodwill shop behind Mike's Car Wash here isn't your mother's Goodwill.

It has a liberal return policy, and it accepts credit cards. When the manager, Angella Deal, hears that a customer was dissatisfied, she writes a note of apology. She also has called an AnnTaylor fan to let her know that some AnnTaylor clothes had been donated. The prices were probably a bit higher than the ones your mother remembers, too: From $5.99 for an AnnTaylor vest or blouse, for example, to $29.99 for a nice suit or dress from the retailer.

The goal, Ms. Deal says, is to make this outlet the "Nordstrom of Goodwill."

Other Goodwills are also being spiffed up. The Goodwill Superstores around Portland, Ore., serve latte. In the Washington, D.C., area, three of the 16 Goodwills don't even identify themselves as Goodwills outside. Their signs read "Best Kept Secret" boutiques, though their high-end clothing, furs, jewelry and other items carry Goodwill tags.

To promote their new images, some Goodwills have run sophisticated TV ad campaigns. The San Francisco-area operation, for example, has a television spot featuring a transsexual who is gathering clothes for donation with the tagline, "You're not the man you used to be." In 1997, retail sales of donated goods for all Goodwill stores in the U.S. and Canada generated $644.7 million, about half of the charity's total revenue of $1.27 billion. The rest came from cash donations and contracts to provide labor to companies in conjunction with job-training programs. More than 203,000 people were served by the training programs in 1997.

Goodwill competitors like the Salvation Army are also upgrading their stores. "We are on a very aggressive campaign to remodel," says Major Daniel Starrett, who oversees the 300 outlets in the group's Western sector, one of four divisions. "The public that shops the market now is a far more sophisticated shopper." In the South, Lt. Col. Richard Norris says, "Many of our stores no longer have long, long rows of clothing. We are now more like a department store." But Lt. Col. Robert Bodine, who oversees the Midwest sector, says he doesn't think the Salvation Army has to compete with department stores. "I think we can become too sophisticated," he says.

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